Abu Dhabi, Oct 19 (IANS): Celebrations of the nine-day long Navratri festival this year for Indian expats based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be a subdued affair due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a media report said on Monday.

Director of the Dubai-based Signature Events, Sunill Grover and his wife Sumita, who every year organise a weekend of 'Garba' at the city's Zabeel and Mamzar Park, are disappointed as the celebrations cannot be held as usual, said the Gulf News report.

"We usually have 12,000 to 15,000 people attending the dance. This year we are missing the energy and positive vibes that the Garba brings during Navratri," Sumita said.

"In fact, it is hard to imagine Navratri without the tradition Garba dance. We hope the Covid-19 situation will be under control by next year as we would love to host the dance programmes once again," she added.

Also commenting on the situation, Vasu Shroff, a veteran Indian businessman associated with the the Hindu Temple in Bur Dubai, said: "It feels like the world is angry. Hopefully all this will change."

Another Indian expat Lakshmi Narayan, said: "For us South Indians, celebrating Navratri is all about appeasing the nine Hindu goddesses. And one of the ways we do it is by calling women and young girls to our house and showing them our dolls and giving them a little gift.

"When we do this it is like appeasing the Gods."